Pump



Feb. 14, 1961 E. c. HUEBSCHMAN 2,971,471

PUMP

Filed Feb. 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CURRENT REGULATOR 50 AND DISTRIBUTOR 34 34' [SI IE] [1] E IS! [51 EH11 CURRENT R EGULATOR 50 AND DISTRIBUTOR INVENTOR. EUGENE C. HUE SCHMAN B LUW Zn? ATTORNEY M ED%JI AG NT Feb. 14, 1961 Filed Feb. 25, 1960 C. HUEBSCHMAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w M A a c o L n I [0 A B C D A- w M J-\ tq, t5

q Pi-4 T0 PUMP CURRENT REGULATOR Fig-5 INVENTOR.

EUGENE c. HUEBSC MAN BY WW 5;?

ATTORNEY m afimm AGE PUMP

Eugene C. Huebschman, 5549 Grass Drive, Dayton 31, Ohio;

Filed Feb. 25, 1960 Ser. No. 11,112 g 11 Claims. or. res-452 (Granted and Title as, US. Code 1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the United States Government for governmental purposes without payment to me or any royalty thereon. a

The invention relates to a device for pumping liquids and it comprises a pump in which a pluralityof flexible.

wires extending along the tube in the magnetic field causes collapse of the tube. Two such pumps, connected in tandem and operated alternatively can produce a continuous flow of fluid in the tube.

The simplicity in physical structure of this novel pump ing device makes a wide range of uses possible in both the modification of existing equipment and the improved designof new apparatus. The device, for example, could be added as auxiliary equipment without internal change to anyflexible line. The pumping device can be used instead of the present hydraulic pump on todays auto: mobiles and could be installed as remote from the driver as desired. Further, this same type of pump could be made to surround an arm or leg and thus massage or cause circulation to continue. In this instance, the. pump would have to be electronically in synchronism with the heart. Another possible use, in this area, is during the boost phase of a space flight by man. The tube must.

be large enough to go around the leg or arm. The pump will aid the movement of the spacemans blood at nor; mal blood pressure from the feet and hands towards the heart during take-off.

It is the object of this invention of general utility thatwhile simple in construction and with a minimum of moving parts is capable of effectively moving fluids. V t

It is the specific object of this invention to provide a pair of pumps in tandem capable of producing a continuous flow of fluid by alternating between the pumps pressing and resting positions. w t

The nature of the invention, further objects and advantages will appear more fully on consideration of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: t t

Figure 1 is an illustration of the pumping unit of this invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of a pair of pumping units in connected tandem;

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the physical forces acting upon a cross-section of the flexible pumping unit; t

Figure 4 is an illustration of the state of the flexible tube at various stages of the pumping cycle; and

Figure 5 is-an illustration of a means to synchronize the pump with a persons heart beat.

to provide a pump Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the pumping unit is composed of a neoprene or any otherflexible tube 10, flexible conducting wires 20 attached or fabricated into the tube 10, and magnets 12, 14, 16 and 18. The magnets segments of magnetic influence are respectively designated at A, B, C and D segments. v

The flexible conducting wires 20 may be either molded into the tube 10 at the time of forming the tube or glued to an already formed tube of the proper diameter. As many of these wires 20 are extended longitudinally of the tube 10 as possible, but the number is limited by the required resilience in the tube 10 to enable the tube to completely squeeze closed and reopen after the squeeze.

The Wires are spaced apart equally around the tube 10. A current input lead 32 connects conducting wires 20 in the upper half of tube 10 with current regulator 50. The conducting wires 20 in the upper half of the tube 10 extend down the tube 10 and cross over and return on the bottom half of tube 10. The single lead 34 in the Figure 1 represents the cross over of the plurality conducting wires 20 to the bottom half of the tube 10. A current output lead 36 connects the conducting wires 20 in the lower half of tube 10 with the current regulator 50.

The magnets 12, 14, 16 and 18 may be permanent.

U-shaped magnets with its poles along the tube 10, or electrical magnets consisting of a coil of wire wrapped around the tube. Where magnets 12, 14, 16 and 18 are permanent magnets they are doubled in size, as schematically illustrated in Figure 2, and diminished in pole strength as you progress along the pump stroke. Where electrical magnets are used the coils will have progres sively fewer turns starting with the maximum number of turns at the end from which the fluid is to be driven.

A continuous flow of fluid through the tube can-be accomplished by connecting a pair of pumping units in tandem as illustrated by Figure 2. The pumping unit placed on the left hand side of Figure 2 has the same reference characters as has the single pumping unit in Figure 1 and is intended to schematically represent .the pumping unit of Figure l. The pumping unit placed on the right hand side of Figure 2 is identical in construction to the unit on the left hand side of Figure 2. The equivalence of the two pumping units :is indicated by the use of the identical reference characters for each pumping unit except that primes are used on the right hand side unit. i t

The current regulator and distributor 50 provides the required current in the proper strength at the appropriate times to conducting wires 20 through the proper input and output connections 32, 32 and 36, 36'. ternal structure of current regulator and distributor 50 is of conventional design and not a part of the invention.

The operation of the novel device can be understood by reference to Figures 3 and 4. Mechanical forceson the conductors carrying current in a magnetic field fundamentally act according to the following formula:

F=Bll where F is the force, B the value of the flux density at the conductor, 1 the length of the conductor, and I the current passing through the conductor. As shown by Figure 3, the lines of magnetizing force or magnetic field intensity H are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the conducting wires 20. The current I enters the one half of the conducting wires 20 located in theupper half of tube 10, thereby causing a force F, downward. The current I flows in the opposite direction in the one half of the conducting wires 20 located in the lower half of tube 10, thereby causing a force F up The inward. This combination of forces F and F will collapse or squeeze the tube 10 within the magnetic field.

The magnetic flux density decreases from the greatest at magnet 12 to the least at magnet 18. Typical values for the magnetic flux density are 15,000 gauss for magnet 12, 12,000 gauss for magnet 14, 9000 gauss for magnet 16, etc. The force in the first segment A is B ll, in the second segment B is B Il, etc. A current I, applied by the current regulator 50 to conducting wire 20 at t in Figure 4 is suflicient to allow the forces F and F developed by the magnetic field to pinch oh. the tube 10 at segment A, however, not strong enough to pinch off the tube 10 at segments B, C or D. The current I s then increased to I at t in Figure 4 and the tube 10 1s collapsed additionally at segment B. Increases in current to values I and I will additionally collapse tube segments C and D at 2 in Figure 4. The closure of the tube 10 at segment A acts as a valve and the successive collapse of the tube produces the pumping action.

The pair of pumping units in connected tandem illustrated in Figure 2 is similar in operation to that of the single unit. The second pumping unit follows the same cycle as the first pumping unit described above. The pumping units always have an overlap of a predetermined amount of time. This overlap is illustrated schematically at L; in Figure 4. The tube 10 is collapsed at segment A following the collapsing in order of segments A, B, C and D. The current to the first pumping unit is broken for a time and the tube reopens at t in Figure 4. The second pumping unit then completes its cycle. Tube at segment A of the first pumping unit is squeezed closed, current to the second pumping unit is broken thus reopening the tube 10 in the area of its influence, and the cycle is repeated.

The continuous pump can be designed to surround an arm or leg of a person for massaging purposes. In this instance, the pumping pressure must be synchronized with the persons heart beat. Figure 5 shows one possible device for accomplishing this synchronism. Electrodes 54 and 56 are variable in length according to the heart beat of the person. The variation in the length of the electrodes varies the length of time that the circuit is closed and conducting current from battery 60, across the uniform speed rotating arm 58 and to the pump current regulator. When the rotating arm 58 rotates out of contact with the electrodes, the circuit opens. The pulse of current to the current regulator controls the pumping action of the pump and thereby synchronizing the heart beat to the pumping action.

The invention is not limited to the examples of embodiments shown and described, but may on the contrary, be capable of many modifications.

I claim:

1. A pump comprising a flexible-wall tube defining a fluid passage, conducting Wires attached to said tube running lengthwise with respect to said tube at spaced intervals around said tube, means for applying current that varies in magnitude with time to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube, means for returning the said current through said wires attached to the lower half of the said tube, and a series of magnets extending along said tube, said magnets diminish in magnetic field intensity starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is driven.

2. A pump comprising a flexible-wall tube defining a fluid passage, a plurality of conducting wires attached to said tube at spaced intervals, each of said conducting wires extending longitudinally down the upper half of said tube, crossing over and returning on the bottom half of said tube, means for applying current at various levels of current magnitude to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube,.and a series of magnets extending along said tube, said magnets diminish in magnetic field intensity starting from the end of said tube from which the fiuidis driven.

3. A pump comprising a flexible-wall tube defining a fluid passage, conducting wires attached to said tube running lengthwise with respect to said tube at spaced intervals around said tube, means for applying current at various levels of current magnitude to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube, means for returning the said current through the said wires attached to the lower half of said tube, and a series of permanent U-shaped magnets extending along said tube, said magnets diminish in pole strength starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is driven.

4. A pump comprising a flexible-wall tube defining a fluid passage, conducting wires attached to said tube running lengthwise with respect to said tube at spaced intervals arounds said tube, means for applying current that varies in magnitude with time to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube, means for returning the said current through the said wires attachedto the lower half of said tube, and a series of electromagnets extending along said tube, the coils of said electromagnets having progressively fewer turns starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is driven.

5. A pump comprising a flexible-wall neoprene tube defining a fluid passage, a plurality of conducting wires molded into said tube at spaced intervals, each of said conducting wires extending longitudinally down the upper half of said tube, crossing over and returning on the bottom half of said tube, current regulator means for cyclically applying a predetermined sequence of current levels to the said wires molded into the upper half of the said tube, and a series of magnets extending along said tube, said magnets diminish in magnetic field intensity starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is driven.

6. A continuous pump comprising a flexible tube defining a fluid passage; a pair of pumping units surrounding the said flexible tube in tandem; each of said pumping units comprising conducting wires attached to said tube running lengthwise with respect to said tube at spaced intervals around said tube, means for applying current to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube, means for returning the said current through the said wires attached to the lower half of the said tube, and a series of magnets extending along said tube, said magnets diminish in magnetic field intensity starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is driven; means for regulating and distributing current to the said pumpmg units.

7. A continuous pump comprising a flexible tube defining a fluid passage; a pair of pumping units surrounding the said flexible tube in tandem; each of said pumplng units comprising a plurality of conducting wires at- -tached to said tube at spaced intervals, each of said conducting wires extending longitudinally down the upper half of said tube, crossing over and returning on the bottom half of said tube, means for applying current to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube, and a series of magnets extending along said tube, sa1d magnets diminish in magnetic field intensity starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is. driven; and means for regulating and distributing current to the said pumping units.

8. A continuous pump comprising a flexible tube defining a fluid passage; a pair of pumping units surrounding the said flexible tube in tandem; each of said pumping units comprising conducting wires attached to said tube running lengthwise with respect to said tube at spaced intervals around said tube, means for applying current to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube, means for returning the said current through the said wires attached to the lower half of the said tube, and a series of permanent U-shaped magnets extending along said tube, said magnets diminish in pole strength starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is driven; and means for regulating and distributing current to the said pumping units.

9. A continuous pump comprising a flexible tube de fining a fluid passage; a pair of pumping units surrounding the said flexible tube in tandem; each of said pumping units comprising conducting wires attached to said tube running lengthwise with respect to said tube at spaced intervals around said tube, means for applying current to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube, means for returning the said current through the said Wires attached to the lower half of the said tube, and a series of electromagnets extending along said tube, the coils of said electromagnets having progressively fewer turns starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is driven; and means for regulating and distributing current to the said pumping units.

10. A continuous pump comprising a flexible neoprene tube defining a fluid passage; a pair of pumping units surrounding the said flexible tube in tandem; each of said pumping units comprising a plurality of conducting wires molded into said tube at spaced intervals, each of said conducting wires extending longitudinally down the upper half of said tube, crossing over and returning on the bottom half of said tube, current regulator means for cyclically applying a predetermined sequence of current levels to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube, and a series of magnets extending along said tube, said magnets diminish in magnetic field intensity starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is driven; and means for regulating and distributing current to the said pumping units.

11. A pumping device for aiding the flow of blood from the extremities toward the heart of a spaceman during the boost phase of a space flight comprising flexiblewall tubes surrounding each arm and leg of the said spaceman; a pair of pumping units surrounding each of said flexible-wall tubes in tandem; each of said pumping units comprising conducting wires attached to said tube running lengthwise with respect to said tube at spaced intervals around said tube, means for applying current to the said wires attached to the upper half of the said tube, means for returning the said current through the said wires attached to the lower half of the said tube, and a series of magnets extending along the said tube, said magnets diminish in magnetic field intensity starting from the end of said tube from which the fluid is driven; and means for regulating and distributing current to the said pumping units in synchronism with the heart beat of the said spaceman.

No references cited. 

